The heavy-handed Johnson (13-3), a 6-foot-4 inch, 250-pound resident of nearby Madera, will face off with another highly touted prospect, undefeated Lolohea Mahe (4-0-1) of Wailua, Maui in the STRIKEFORCE cage.

Tickets for the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event, priced from $30, go on sale on Monday, Feb. 1, at the Save Mart Center box office and select Save Mart Supermarkets, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000, Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com <http://www.ticketmaster.com/> ) and STRIKEFORCE’s official website (www.strikeforce.co<http://www.strikeforce.com/> ).

“My health is great and I’m almost back to where I was,” said Johnson.  In his last start in the cage, Johnson crushed Carl Seumanutafa in just 18 seconds with a single punch at the first-ever STRIKEFORCE Challengers event at Save Mart Center on May 15, 2009.

After being struck down by the gunfire that also led to the death of a cousin, Johnson, a father of two boys, ages eight and five, spent one month in hospital care and lost approximately 60 pounds. Months of physical rehabilitation followed and, one month ago, Johnson was cleared by a physician to return to training with trainer Jasper Tayaba and Team Buhawe in Fresno.

“(The experience) made me realize how fragile life is and that every day I’m here is a blessing.  It has also made me take MMA more seriously.”

In other action on the STRIKEFORCE Challengers card, “Abongo” Humphrey (5-1) of Atlanta, Ga., will square off with George Bush III (5-1) of Columbus, Ohio, at light heavyweight (205 pounds).

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Luke Stewart (6-2) of San Francisco, California will make his long-awaited return to action against Andre Galvao (3-1) of Brazil in a welterweight (170 pounds) contest.

Unbeaten Zoila Frausto (2-0) of Fresno will face off at 135 pounds with another one of the top prospects in the women’s field, Miesha “Takedown” Tate (7-2) of Olympia, Washington.

American Kickboxing Academy bred wrestling stud Justin “The Silverback” Wilcox (8-3) of San Jose, Calif., will do battle with Bryan Travers (13-1) of Bakersfield, Calif., at lightweight (155 pounds).

Save Mart Center doors will open for the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event at 6 p.m. PT. The first live, non-televised, preliminary bout will begin at 6:45 p.m.

The live SHOWTIME® telecast will begin at 11:45 p.m. ET/ PT (delayed on the west coast).

STRIKEFORCE Challengers is a proving ground for up-and-coming MMA fighters. The series is designed to provide today’s top prospects with the opportunity to step-up their level of competition and demonstrate their ability in a nationally televised event. STRIKEFORCE in March 2009 signed a multi-year agreement to stage live MMA events on the premium cable television network.  The promotion made its live, primetime debut on CBS with the “Fedor vs. Rogers” mega-fight that it co-promoted with M-1 Global on Saturday, November 7 and generated 5.46 million viewers for the main event between the world’s number one heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko, and superstar Brett “The Grim” Rogers.

About STRIKEFORCE

STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com <http://www.strikeforce.com/> ) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history.  The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265.  Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE, sanctioned by ISKA, has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts (MMA) series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.”  In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.

Source: Mike Afromowitz/StrikeForce

Injuries and the salary cap sealed LT’s fate out west and he now finds himself on the opposite coast looking to extend a career that started coming off the rails last season. He was being wooed by the Minnesota Vikings as well as the Jets but ultimately decided on Gang Green. “I think the major decision that it came down to was having to learn a new offense versus playing in an offense that I already know and (playing for) someone I already know in (Jets offensive coordinator) Brian Schottenheimer,” Tomlinson said in a conference call.

A similar situation existed with the Jets that happened with the Chargers. Thomas Jones led the team in rushing and had over 1,400 yards, but was released because he was due a large bonus and became a salary cap casualty. The 10-year vet also had 14 touchdowns and averaged over four yards per carry. He went on to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jets were in the market for a veteran to mentor Shonn Greene, who became the feature back in the playoffs and was very effective in that role.

Enter Tomlinson, who will inherit the privilege of working behind arguably the most effective offense line in the NFL for a team committed to pounding the ball. “I’ll just say, this is my type of football,” he said. “I’ve always had an aggressive style and taken pride in running the football and wearing people down.” 2009 was the first time that Tomlinson failed to rush for over 1,000 yards in nine NFL campaigns. His best year came in 2006, when LT ran for 1,815 yards and 28 touchdowns and was named the Associated Press NFL MVP.

General manager Mike Tannenbaum had to make the tough decision to cut Jones, a favorite in the locker room. “We feel like (he) did a great job for us the last three years,” he said. “He did a lot of things obviously on the field as well as off, but when we looked at all the factors and what we thought was in the best interests of our team, taking all factors into account, we’re really excited about LaDanian.”

Now the Jets have a deep backfield that not only includes Greene and LT, but also Leon Washington, who will be coming back from a gruesome broken leg injury and is an effective change-of-pace back. The bulk of the carries will initially go to Green, but Tomlinson is one heck of a fall back option. Being the veteran in this mix, LT is coming into the situation with an open mind about his role, one which he is going to welcome.

“People are going to look at the old tapes and see what he did on the field, but the greatest thing you can have in this league is a legacy and teaching young guys that carry on the tradition of running the football,” he commented. “To me, I embrace that role of mentoring the young running backs, including Shonn Greene.”

Photo by Bill Menzel

In 2009, Ware played in eight games and had 13 rushes for 73 yards and a touchdown. He backed up both Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw and also played on special teams. His official website is www.dannyware28.com.

MuscleSport Radio can be heard live every Tuesday from 1:00 to 2:00 PM Eastern time on www.blogtalkradio.com and all episodes are archived on Blog Talk Radio, MuscleSport Mag and iTunes.

Please feel free to join us and give us your opinion, ask a question or make a comment. Our call-in number is 347-884-8157.

UPCOMING GUESTS:

Tuesday, March 23 - MuscleSport Mag wrestling columnist Jared Silkerbildt

MuscleSport Radio has enjoyed a steady flow of special guests since launching, with famous names in the bodybuilding and sports industry such as Samir Bannout, Bill Grant, Boyer Coe, Troy Brown, Ronnie Coleman, Gunter Schlierkamp, Leo Ingram, Heather Mae French, Cathy LeFrancois, Colette Nelson, Cathy LeFrancois, Dena Westerfield, Bill Romanowski, Tony Mandarich, “Leapin’” Lanny Poffo, Taylor Boyd, Steve Michalik, Dan Lurie, Emy Silvagni, Rae Holitt, Tom Terwilliger, Dan “The Beast” Severn, Kevin Levrone, Layne Norton, Randy Roach, Debi Laszewski, Heather Armbrust and more.

Photo Courtesy of ESBL Sports Management.

At 5′6″ and 226 pounds, Rockel came into the Arnold looking to be in excellent condition and stood well against some steep competition. When you have a line-up that included the defending champion Kai Greene, Phil Heath, Branch Warren, Dexter Jackson and Toney Freeman, breaking into that circle of consistent top six men was an accomplishment in itself.

The last time that Rockel stood in the winner’s circle came at the 2006 Australian Grand Prix. For him to do that again, he may have to compete in some of the smaller shows such as the Europa, New York Pro and Atlantic City Pro. But there will come a time when Rockel’s proportioned physique will be recognized in the more prestigious shows and not just in the top 10 or six.

Kai Greene came into the show as the defending champion and favorite, but was actually trailing Phil Heath, 10-7. Both men looked good enough to win, but Heath’s conditioning appeared to be a little sharper than Greene’s.

As the day turned into night, the winner hung in the balance. There were four men who had a legitimate shot, including Dexter Jackson (16) and Branch Warren (19) also close enough to have something to say. When the six names were announced after the posing routines for all 13 participants concluded, Toney Freeman and Ronny Rockel were also added to the mix.

Since the IFBB no longer counts the posing round towards the final scores, the judges may have made up their minds following the pose down. Rockel and Freeman finished sixth and fifth, respectively, and a case could be made that they could have been flip-flopped. The first surprise of the night came when Jackson – in a very important show for him – dropped out of the top three.

No argument here, but the fans in attendance let out a collective “oh” when The Blade’s name was called. Then they booed when Warren was next, but this was the proper placing for him. A huge fan favorite, the Texas resident came in looking awesome (particularly his legs) but not better than the two who remained on stage.

As Heath’s name was announced by emcee Lonnie Tepper, the audience (or at least a good portion of it) made their feelings known that they disagreed with the decision. That lasted for a short period of time and they gave Greene his due. The Brooklyn native became the fourth to win consecutive Arnold Classics, adding his name to a prestigious list that includes Flex Wheeler (1997, 1998), Jay Cutler (2002-2004) and Jackson (2005, 2006).

Still only 25 years of age, the Miami resident began fighting at the amateur level in 2005 and turned pro two years later. “El Gringo Diablo” has an excellent future ahead of him and is also represented by Lagardere Unlimited’s MMA division (www.lagardere-unlimited.com).

MuscleSport Radio can be heard live every Tuesday from 1:00 to 2:00 PM Eastern time on www.blogtalkradio.com and all episodes are archived on Blog Talk Radio, MuscleSport Mag and iTunes.

Please feel free to join us and give us your opinion, ask a question or make a comment. Our call-in number is 347-884-8157.

UPCOMING GUESTS:

Tuesday, March 23 – MuscleSport Mag wrestling columnist Jared Silkerbildt

MuscleSport Radio has enjoyed a steady flow of special guests since launching, with famous names in the bodybuilding and sports industry such as Samir Bannout, Bill Grant, Boyer Coe, Troy Brown, Ronnie Coleman, Gunter Schlierkamp, Leo Ingram, Heather Mae French, Cathy LeFrancois, Colette Nelson, Cathy LeFrancois, Dena Westerfield, Bill Romanowski, Tony Mandarich, “Leapin’” Lanny Poffo, Taylor Boyd, Steve Michalik, Dan Lurie, Emy Silvagni, Rae Holitt, Tom Terwilliger, Dan “The Beast” Severn, Kevin Levrone, Layne Norton, Randy Roach, Debi Laszewski, Heather Armbrust and more.

Photo Courtesy of NPM PR.

As the crowd awaited Lonnie Tepper’s announcement on who would be the runner-up, both women had a moment and exchanged a few words. “We said congratulations, we both look great and we love each other,” Kyle recalled.

Oriquen-Garcia’s name was the one called, and Kyle once again found herself on top of the women’s bodybuilding world. She was presented with $25,000, a Tony Nowak jacket and the first place trophy by not only Arnold Schwarzenegger, but actor Sylvester Stallone. A star-studded special evening, indeed.

“Iris is just cranking,” legendary bodybuilder Bill Grant said. “She’s won every major show.”

Finishing third to sixth, respectively, were Debi Laszewski, Lisa Aukland, Betty Pariso and Dayana Cadeau.

In the Fitness International, Adela Garcia took home the big check and was followed by Julie Palmer, Tanji Johnson, Trish Warren, Oksana Grishina and Camala Rodriguez. Nicole Wilkins Lee is on a roll and added the Figure International to her Ms. Figure Olympia title. Erin Stern was the runner-up, with Heather Mae French (third), Mindi Smith (fourth), Felicia Romero (fifth) and Larissa Reis (sixth) also placing.

Even in his most successful campaign (2008), he entered and won five contests – the Arnold, Australian, New Zealand and Russian Grand Prix, as well as the Mr. Olympia. “You just have to know how to pace yourself,” Jackson said two days out of the ‘08 O about competing in three shows before the most important one. “It’s not going to affect me in any way. I’ll still be 110 percent on that stage.” All of that dieting may have taken a lot out of him and ‘The Blade’ decided to compete in only one show the following year.

Jackson finished a disappointing third last September in Las Vegas and his reaction upon hearing his name called with two more competitors standing beside him left no mystery as to what he thought of the judge’s decision. Although many defending champions get the benefit of the doubt to at least finish as the runner-up, it’s hard to argue with Branch Warren taking second and Jay Cutler winning the Sandow.

There have been many names thrown around as possible winners of the Arnold. Of course, Kai Greene is the favorite as the reigning title holder and should be. He is a special bodybuilder who finished fourth at his maiden Olympia. He had peaked in March and it was too much for him to come in six months later in top condition again. Then there is Warren, who won the Most Muscular Award at the last Arnold.

Others to keep an eye on are Phil Heath, Hidetada Yamagishi and Toney Freeman.

Jackson is looking to get his fourth Arnold Classic victory (2205, 2006, 2008) and has a good chance to come in to do just that. He still has many folks in his corner and can rebound easily from having the Olympia title taken from him after just one year. If he can win in Columbus, people will be once again putting him in the category of the all-time greats. But if he finishes out of the top three, the chatter that he has seen his best days will become commonplace.

Photo by Francesco Pillari

The southpaw won the Heisman as a sophomore in 2007 and has been one of the most successful signal callers in recent NCAA history but has always had to deal with the critics saying he is not cut out for the NFL. At 6′3″ and 240 pounds, he certainly has the size and he also has the potential to be the most effective rushing quarterback since Michael Vick in his prime.

A four-year starter at Florida, Tebow rushed for nearly 3,000 yards and 57 touchdowns. He also threw for 83 scores against 15 picks and close to 10,000 yards. Very impressive, to say the least, but he had a disappointing performance at the Senior Bowl, which is used as a barometer by many organizations preparing for the NFL Draft.

The prospects that decide to enter the NFL Scouting Combine have the opportunity to push themselves up the board by making a good showing in Indianapolis. When you have a quarterback with arm questions, he has the opportunity to quell much of the negative talk by showing good arm strength and accuracy in a very controlled enviornment, one that goes away awfully quick on Sundays. This would seem like the perfect scenario for a guy like Tebow.

But he has decided not to throw at the Combine.

“I’m not changing who I am or how I approach football, but there are things that I can get a lot better at – my fundamentals,” Tebow said to Adam Schefter, ESPN’s top football analyst. “I’ve never been asked to shorten or quicken my release and not have a loop in it. The changes I’m making have gone very well and it’s becoming more and more natural to me.”

Tebow further stated that he hopes to have his mechanics down by the start of minicamp, but just where they may be is the $100,00 question. Even though he is going to be participating in the other categories for quarterbacks, not showing what he can do with that arm will only hurt his chances of being a first round pick. Tebow wants to prove that he can be an every-down NFL quarterback, but that will be a huge question mark if scouts do not see him throw. Even if he is making adjustments on his motion, the team officials in the stands will want to see what he can do and take that factor into consideration.

With the ‘wildcat’ offense being in vogue these days, Tebow’s chances of sticking around are better with him being able to utilize his running ability. There will be teams who could take a chance on him and a strong rumor is that the Jacksonville Jaguars are one of them. For a team that cannot even sell out their home games, drafting a hometown hero like Tebow could give them a shot in the arm.

And his left arm may just keep him off that infamous list.

The show has been described as a “hybrid live event/reality show,” according to the official WWE website and will feature eight established superstars and their charges – a group of young and hungry up and comers from Florida Championship Wrestling, the breeding ground for WWE. The competition will pit the rookies against one another with the survivor receiving a WWE contract.

Here are the tandems, as announced on the final ECW televised broadcast:

Chris Jericho – Wade Barrett

Matt Hardy – Justin Grabel

MVP – Skip Sheffield

Carlito – Michael tarver

The Miz – Daniel Bryan

Christian – Heath Slater

CM Punk – Darren Young

R. Truth – David Otunga

The show has been called “The next evolution of the WWE” by Vince McMahon and it appears that the company will be exploring new ground by adding the reality element. The set-up sounds similar to the UFC’s “Ultimate Fighter” reality series, which has two teams of eight MMA fighters coached by pros and the final contestant receives a six-figure fight contract. By mixing elements of such a successful show with their own special form of sports entertainment, it will be interesting to see the outcome.

As far as the superstars themselves, the braintrust at Titan Tower strategically placed a few headliners such as Jericho and Punk and mixed in midcarders like Hardy and Truth. Two of the more intriguing names are The Miz and Christian. The former holds three current belts,as one half of the unified tag team champions with The Big Show and the US title. Christian was the longest reigning champion of any of the three brands before being pinned by Jackson.

One question that has not yet been asked or answered is if these eight superstars will be able to compete on Raw, Smackdown or Superstars.